New policies on commerce and travel to Cuba may come with societal change, according to Stacke, who has traveled to the country five times.

“I do think the Cuban people will try to maintain their culture,” he said.

To read the article and learn more about Cuban travel, visit the Star Tribune news site.

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Winter faculty-led programs were:

History of Cuban Music in Cuba with Professor Bob Stacke, Music

Students experienced the fascinating culture of Cuba and its history, politics, and religion by exploring the way Cuban music has contributed to Afro-Caribbean music as a whole. Students also explored how music is used as a means of expressing cultural difference and social realities.

Trekking the Mountains in Mexico with Professor Tony Clapp, Health and Physical Education [pictured here at the top of the Sleeping Lady’s Knee: Iztaccihuatl ˜16,737 ft.]

This program combined a local immersion experience in a Mexican community with an outdoor adventure like no other. Students learned firsthand how our bodies respond to high altitude and monitored the physiological changes they went through when reaching the summit of two peaks in the Sierra Madres.

Vocation & Christian Faith in El Salvador with Professor Matt Maruggi, Religion

This program focused on the concept of vocation in the context of poverty and political injustice. Students examine how Christian theology has been used both to justify oppression, support social justice movements, and offer hope for a peaceful and just social order. We will also reflect on our own sense of vocation in relation to our learning experiences in El Salvador and at Augsburg.

Augsburg student Natalya Brown participated in the El Salvador program. Upon her return, she shared the following:

“I think that if you were to ask anyone that went to El Salvador over break, they would say this experience was extremely humbling. There are many families in El Salvador that are living off of one dollar a day to provide for their entire family and students here complain about the food in the cafeteria. Through this experience, I have become SO much more grateful for what I have and more aware of what others do may not. You may here about people living in bad conditions but when you see it for yourself, it makes it that much more real.

While listening to people that have survived the civil war, one can sense how strong their love and faith is to God. Everyone that we met with thanked God that they were alive and able to share their story with us, instead of asking why God let it happen. It was a very rewarding trip, and it fit in perfectly with the class I would recommend this program to not just students studying religion, but to students with various interests.”

Zack Sommer, a senior who participated in the Mexico program, said, “Trekking the mountains in Mexico was a powerful experience mentally, physically, and spiritually. My perceptions of what it means to be a global citizen have been elevated and the challenges of this trip brought the members of our group together in a way that we understood and appreciated each other.”

Apply by Feb. 1 for Summer Faculty-Led Programs

now, so they are easier to complete than ever! Also, students may come into the Augsburg Abroad office for advising and to find out more about summer programs: teaching English in Thailand, engaging in a business simulation in Germany, building a dam in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, or experiencing internationally renowned theater in Scotland!

International Management: Germany May 12-June 10, 2012

BUS 465 or FIN 460 1 credit AugExperience Int. Bus & CCS Elective

Explore cutting-edge international business in its cultural context with a two-week immersion in Germany plus a two-week exchange program with German students in Minneapolis. Faculty: Marc McIntosh

Education & Culture: Thailand May 5-28, 2012

ENL 291/391 1 credit AugExperience Humanities LAF

Interact with the people of the Northern Hill tribes, explore Buddhist temples, and experience English-language teaching in a southern village. Faculty: Kathryn Swanson

Political & Civic Engagement: Egypt May 19-June 5, 2012

HIS 195 & POL 160/461 2 credits AugExperience Humanities LAF (HIS 195) SBS LAF (POL 160 only) or POL/IR/PGS Elective

Examine the political movements in the Middle East and explore how grassroots civic engagement plays a role in modern Egypt, while you visit ancient sites and ride a camel! Faculty: Mohamed Sallam & Joseph Underhill

International Theater: Scotland August 7-20, 2012

THR 299 or 495 1 credit AugExperience Fine Arts LAF (299 only), THR or Film Elective

Experience an exhilarating collection of theatrical productions from all over the globe at the world renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Faculty: Darcey Engen

Hoversten Peace Program: El Salvador June 1-9, 2012

AugExperience (Non-credit)

Join with other Augsburg students as well as faculty and staff to develop a strong learning community together, as you learn about peace and global issues in El Salvador.

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Stacke shares his thoughts about the devastation caused by the recent earthquakes and photos of the people he has met while teaching in Haiti. Included in this collage are Stacke’s photos of life at Holy Trinity School in Port-au-Prince, Leogane and Cite Soleil. He will also share reflections in daily chapel on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 11:20 a.m. All are welcome to chapel.

He writes, “The tragedy and devastation in Haiti are beyond my comprehension. I see news reports of thousands of bodies being bulldozed, thrown into dump trucks and buried in mass graves. I’m frightened that people I know are among them. The structures of schools where I taught for the last eight summers do not exist any more. I do not know who has survived. The day after the earthquake, I brought to my office a collage of photos I had taken of students and friends, so that I would see them as individuals and not statistics.”

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Music Department Chair Bob Stacke recruited a “big band”-style orchestra that included high school, Augsburg, and professional players. For the “High School All Star Jazz Band,” he worked with music teachers in five Minneapolis public high schools and the Walker West Music Academy in Saint Paul to put together a band of talented players. They were joined by Jazz Ensemble members and professionals Larry Sims (trumpet) and David Wright III (saxophone/clarinet), who served as mentors to the students and played with them in the orchestra. The High School All Star Jazz Band was featured in “C Jam Blues.”

On Tuesday and Wednesday, in four performances with 8,000 school children at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts, Stacke led the musicians as they re-created an old-time radio show, Duke Ellington on the Air. The highlight, performed with the VocalEssence Chorus and baritone soloist Dennis Spears, was “Sacred Concerts” — a very difficult fusion of jazz, classical music, choral music, spirituals, gospel and blues. Stacke says it took a great deal of in-depth practice for the Jazz Ensemble to back up VocalEssence so the instrumentals and vocals could work together.

“Our students did an extraordinary job in a very difficult show,” Stacke said. “I’m extremely proud of the very professional job they did.” He explained that Ellington wrote the sacred music suite for his band, which included musicians who had played together for 30 years or more.

Recruiting the High School All Star Jazz Band for WITNESS was Stacke’s idea. He had taught in the Minneapolis Public Schools and wanted to offer opportunities for music students to learn and grow from the Ellington music and work with VocalEssence. He sees what he does as part of Augsburg’s mission in the community that connects the College with the rich diversity of students in Minneapolis.

This year for the first time, WITNESS also added a family community concert, performed Sunday at Hopkins High School, that gave the student musicians an opportunity to play for their families and the general public.

WCCO-TV coverage:

(VocalEssence preview)

(Ordway Center performance excerpt)

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